A Dangerous Affair
by Cainesqueen
Summary: There's some new kids in town! The Coates kids have arrived to take over Perdido Beach, but will Cleo Dean help or hinder them? And will she throw a spanner into Caine and Diana's relationship?
1. Chapter 1

**CHAPTER 1**

Cleo Dean was just going into the kitchen to make Pippa a bottle, when she noticed the activity in the Plaza. It looked as if the whole town had turned up to see something, but she couldn't make out what, as the crowd blocked her view.

"Pips? Come on honey we're gonna go for a walk!" Cleo called to her little sister. Pippa was 4 years old and had become Cleo's responsibility since the beginning of the FAYZ. With no adults to be seen, Cleo was the only family Pippa had left, and she just couldn't bring herself to drop her off at the day-care, Pippa was already scared enough. Anyway, it gave Cleo something to do, and she didn't mind, she'd always looked after her sister anyway, so it gave her some familiarity. Oskar, the Dean family's duck-tolling retriever, barked and jumped up at the word 'walk'. Cleo laughed. "OK boy, you can come too." She said, scratching him behind his ear. She went into the living room, dragged the 4 year old away from the TV, and they headed out into the Plaza to see what all the commotion was about.

Eventually the 2 girls and their dog managed to push their way to the front of the crowd, and saw the source of the commotion. Three black convertibles were parked outside the town hall, a bunch of Coates kids sitting inside them. Coates was the boarding school just out of town where rich parents sent their 'troubled' children. There was an age-old rivalry between the kids of Perdido Beach and the Coates kids, and it must have taken some nerve for them to come down here. Cleo respected that. Standing on the trunk of the front car, was a boy about Cleo's age. A good-looking boy. A SERIOUSLY HOT boy to be precise.

"…so don't worry, it's all going to be alright. I don't know exactly when your mommies will be back, but I'm here to help keep the town in check until they do…"

Wow, coming into Perdido Beach took some nerve. But declaring yourself as Leader or whatever was something else. But he did seem reliable, he'd done a very good job of calming everyone down…and he was fit…

"…So, I've brought some of my best people with me now: Drake, Diana…" He gestured to others in the front car. "But I'll need some of your people to help as well, any ideas?" There were shouts from the crowd.

"Sam Temple!"

"Yeah, Sam's great!"

"Sam put the fire out!"

"My boy Orc!"

Caine nodded and smiled warmly.

"Well anyone who wants to help me run this town, meet me in the church. I'll assign roles."

Cleo felt someone tap her on her shoulder and turned around to see her friend Jess smiling at her.

"Cleo you should go!" She gushed, nodding enthusiastically, Cleo shrugged. "You've done a great job of looking after Pippa and you're so clever and everyone likes you…and that Caine's pretty dishy, he could be the new Alfie!"

Cleo squirmed at the mention of her ex. They had been together for 2 years and Cleo was absolutely smitten. He was perfect: absolutely gorgeous, clever and romantic. He was tall, tanned, with sandy blonde hair and big warm brown eyes. He had a great fashion sense and he was always giving her presents and sending her flowers. Then she'd found out he'd been doing exactly the same thing to another girl, Olive, in the year above. Cleo felt the familiar feeling of her blood turning to ice water as she thought of him and quickly returned to reality.

"I dunno Jess, I don't really think I'm what they're looking for…I mean, I can't exactly compete with Sam or Astrid or the others people were putting forwards…" But Jess shook her head, dismissing her, and began pushing her over to the church.

"Go on, at least go and see what's going on, I'm not saying you have to try out for mayor, not that you'd ever get it, I'm sorry but Caine just has the fit factor doesn't he…?" Cleo rolled her eyes but found herself agreeing.


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER 2**

Cleo nervously entered the church, her little sister balanced on her hip and her trusty hound at her side. Standing at the alter was the beautiful Caine, with the dark haired girl he'd called Diana and the angry looking sandy haired boy Drake(?) behind him. In the pews were 'Captain' Orc and his posse; Mary Terrafino who had been running the day-care; Sam Temple and his friends Quinn, Edilio and Astrid as well as various others. Cleo hovered by the door, not sure if she should be there. Caine was making another speech, talking as if it was second-nature to him, sounding as if he could compete with the likes of Martin Luther King and Winston Churchill. Cleo stood there, half listening, seeing as it was kinda hard when Pippa was babbling in her ear about _Charlie__and__Lola_ and _Octonauts_. Suddenly though the Crucifix fell off the wall and fell on the front pew where Orc and co. were sitting. Cleo wondered if anyone was hurt and got her answer from a scream of pain like a siren. Pippa whirled her head round trying to see, and Cleo ran out of the church, this was not something suitable for 4-year-old-girls' eyes. She sat down hard on the stone steps, cuddling her little sister to her and stroking Oskar's soft fur. What had happened? One minute it had been firmly on the wall, the next it was falling to the ground. It was impossible, but it had happened. Cleo was sat there wondering about it when she felt a hand on her shoulder, she jumped and looked up to see the Diana girl smiling down at her. She took a seat next to the 3 of them, dusting the step down first in vain and took Cleo's hand in hers.

"Hi, I'm Diana. Diana Ladris. I saw you leave the church, I hope your little sisters alright. It's horrible when accidents like that happen isn't it." Cleo narrowed her eyes slightly.

"Err…yeah…horrible…" Diana took her hand away and rubbed her shoulder in a friendly way.

"Well we'd love to have your help err…"

"Cleo." Cleo offered.

"…Cleo, yeah, come to the town hall in like half an hour? I'm sure Caine would love to meet you." And with that she beamed at Cleo, ruffled Pippa's hair and swaggered off. Cleo realised her heart was beating double time at the mention of going to see Caine. Come on, she thought to herself, you're acting like a teenage school girl! Well, you are, but still…it's not like he's the first fit guy you've ever seen? Alfie was gorgeous and you didn't melt at the mention of HIS name! Cleo slapped herself a few times and then got up and took her two babies back home. She had to get herself ready to see the Mayor.


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER 3**

Caine raised an eyebrow.

"A 3 bar…she could be useful. But equally she could be dangerous…"

"Hey we should at least find out what her power is, it could be something stupid like Janet being able to speak every single language. In a dome where every person speaks English, that's not very useful. And besides, I doubt she'd be dangerous, she drags her little sister everywhere with her. Can you imagine her in a fight, with a little girl on her shoulders?" Caine laughed softly at the thought.

"Yeah I suppose…what time did you say she'd be here?" Diana looked up at the big Grandfather clock on the wall.

"Any minute now." She said, just as they heard a knock at the door. One of the thugs they had brought with them from Coates must have let her in because a few seconds later she entered the room. She was very beautiful, was Caine's first thought, slim with tanned skin and long ash blonde hair. She was wearing a denim skirt and a Hollister polo. She smiled nervously around the room.

"Cleo?" Caine asked and she nodded. "It's great of you to join us, I've heard a lot about you and it would be a pleasure to have you on board." Cleo frowned slightly and Caine guessed she must be wondering what he knew about her.

"You see, you, me, Diana…" He deliberately missed off Drake who glared at him. "We're different. We're…special."

Caine raised his hand up and the desk in front of him rose into the air, did a 360º spin, and then landed back in its original place. Cleo stared open mouthed.

"You…you made the crucifix fall from the church!" She accused. Caine shrugged.

"Those bullies who it fell on…where they an asset to society before I arrived, or did everyone wish they'd just bugger off?" Cleo didn't answer but Caine's point was made. "Diana here, can read other people's powers, which is how we know about you. But you…what can you do?" Cleo looked around and her eyes fell on a gash on Drake's hand. She walked over and placed her hand on his. He looked at her dangerously but she kept it there and, after a minute or two, took it off to reveal…nothing. It had completely disappeared!

"So…you can heal?" Diana asked, eyebrows raised. Cleo nodded.

"Welcome to the team." Caine smiled.


	4. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER 4**

Cleo dropped the baby she had been holding gently into a cot after finally getting it to sleep. Caine had put her as Co-Chief of the Day-care and she was enjoying working here. She was always kept busy and she had made a good friendship with the other Chief, Mary Terrafino, a girl she'd seen at school before but hadn't really ever spoken to. Things were looking up with Caine taking over. He had assigned jobs to everyone and order had been restored. Also, everyone respected him and so did as they were told. A tot started crying on the other side of the room and Cleo went over, scooping her up and shushing her softly. Her name was Emmy. Cleo was getting very good at names since working here. She decided to test herself while it was naptime and everyone was finally still.

"Alfie…Ethan…Lily…Noah…Zoey…Addison…Eli…Louis…Logan…Makayla…Ashley…" She stopped and smiled at the next little girl, sleeping peacefully with a ginger dog curled up next to her. "Pippa…" She said softly. Pippa came with her to the day-care while she was working, and then returned home with her when she did. She couldn't bring herself to leave her little sister alone yet. She knew Pippa probably wouldn't mind, but it was herself that she worried about. Pippa was like her rock, her only sense of life before the FAYZ. She smiled and put the now quiet Emmy back down again, yawning. Her shift was over, but she didn't want to wake Pippa up, so instead she lay down on an empty mat and fell asleep as soon as her head touched the ground.

She woke up about an hour later, to the sound of crying. This was a new record; Cleo never usually had more than 5 minutes to herself so a whole hour's sleep was a luxury. She rubbed her eyes and sat up, only to get the shock of her life. Drake Merwin, one of the Coates kids who Caine had appointed as sheriff was standing in the middle of the day-care, smirking as he held a baby as far away from him as possible, his hand gripped around the little boy's foot. The baby howled and howled as he dangled in front of the monster and Cleo jumped up immediately and ran over.

"DRAKE! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING? PUT BABY NOAH DOWN NOW!" She screamed above the terrified wailing. Drake shrugged as his smile widened.

"Ok...if you say so..." He said and let go, one finger at a time.

"Noo...!" Cleo cried, trying and failing to get there in time as there was a sickening crack and the baby lay lifeless on the hard floor, head out at an impossible angle. Cleo collapsed in front of the little boy who she had grown to love in the last few days. "No..." She whispered. "No...No..." She picked him up and cradled him in her arms. Desperately, she placed her hand on his neck, trying to fix it. Trying to mend the unmendable. But it was too late. Through blurry eyes, she looked up at the grinning monster. "Why...WHY?" She screamed, and putting the baby down again, she ran over to him and began lashing out wildly. He blocked every single hit, and held her hands in a vice-like grip.

"Captain's orders." He shrugged. "He was using his power." Cleo looked at him blankly.

"Since when is that a crime?" She asked. Drake let go of her hands and pulled out a crumpled piece of paper from his trouser pocket. He unfolded it and, held it out for her to see, pointing to number 4. Cleo read it.

"It doesn't say you have to KILL them!" Drake grinned and turned the page over, the second to last rule stated that 'a breach of any of the above rules is punishable by death'. Fresh tears formed in Cleo's eyes. For the first time she was aware of the other children in the day-care. They were all looking on, some frozen with fear, others wailing, others just crying silently. All looking up in fear at the psychopathic boy who was invading their little sanctuary. "Get rid of the body." Cleo muttered. "It's upsetting the other kids." Drake snorted.

"I'll show them upset..." He threatened. "And no, I'm no body-collector. Go get that Mexican kid or one of his amigos to do it." He laughed at his little joke and then began to walk out of the building. He paused in the doorway. "Catch you later, Cleo." He grinned, winked, and then disappeared from sight. Cleo threw Noah's favourite blanket over his sad little corpse, and then tended to the other children, as she waited for Mary Terrafino to come and take over her shift. She needed to speak to Caine, this wasn't right, this couldn't go on. What had the world come to when harmless little children were murdered for doing absolutely nothing? Cleo wasn't sure if Noah had a power, she had never seen him use it if he did, but even if he did, he was a baby! Only just 1 year old! How would he know how to control a power, he couldn't even control when he went to the toilet! Yes, Cleo would speak to Caine. This had to be a misunderstanding. And if it wasn't, she wanted nothing to do with any of them anymore.


	5. Chapter 5

**CHAPTER 5**

"Alright Drake? Any news?" Caine was sitting in the big leather chair that had previously belonged to the Town Mayor with his feet up on the table. Drake shrugged.

"Had a scene with that Cleo girl…think she'll probably come and give you grief at some point…" Caine raised an eyebrow.

"Oh yeah? What happened?"

"Killed a baby." Drake said as casually as if he'd just said 'ate a sandwich', "She didn't like it…" Caine frowned.

"Right…that might be a problem…hope she does come to see me before she tells anyone else, don't want her to spread the word before I can deal with it…especially after the whole incident with that other girl at the fire station…"

"The townies are too uptight, can't take a bit of banter…"

"Killing people isn't exactly your average banter Drake…"

"Is for me." Caine ignored the comment, he was used to Drake's sadistic ways.

"But it is necessary." He said to himself. Drake closed his eyes as he lay across the large sofa next to Caine's desk.

Eventually, after what seemed like hours, Mary arrived for her shift. After an emotional explanation of what had happened, creating tears from both girls, Cleo left for the Mayor's office. A message had been sent to Edilio to pick up the tiny corpse, and Cleo felt a flood of gratitude and admiration towards the Honduran kid who had done so much for Perdido Beach since the beginning of the FAYZ. She hadn't ever talked to him personally, but everyone only ever had kind things to say about him. Cleo had left Pippa in Mary's care, not really thinking it appropriate to take her with her, but her trusty hound Oskar was, as always, by her side. Recently the FAYZ had not been the safest of places to be in, and even though Oskar had only goodness in him, Cleo felt considerably safer when he was with her. She reached the large building which Caine had claimed as his own since the Coates kids' takeover and entered, heading up to the room she had only been in once before, the first time she'd met the handsome but scarily focused and powerful Caine Soren. She knocked on the door now and entered at his

"Come in!" He was sitting in the leather chair with his feet up on the desk and Drake was lying on the sofa. But after Caine muttered something to him he left the room and shut the door behind Cleo, leaving the two of them on their own.

"Ah, Cleo! How can I help you?" He beamed, looking so kind and friendly, Cleo realised it must have all been a misunderstanding.

"Um, well, something happened today which I thought was, err, completely out of order…" She said quietly, his warm smile completely throwing her off track. His expression changed to complete concern.

"Really? Well I really appreciate you coming to tell me, what was it?" Suddenly Cleo didn't really know how to say it.

"There was a murder at the day care." She said, and Caine's expression turned to shock.

"Really? Oh that's awful! Who was it?"

"D-drake. And there's something else…he had a list of rules, and one of them said that if someone broke the rules…he was allowed to kill them."

"Well? Was the child breaking the rules?" Caine asked.

"I don't know…I didn't see…but apparently he was using a power. But surely that's not against the law? I mean, he's a baby! He didn't know!" Caine sighed and walked over to sofa.

"Cleo, Cleo, Cleo…come here, sit down." And he sat down, patting the space next to him for Cleo to sit next to him. She did. "The thing is, Cleo, some of the kids in the FAYZ have powers…do you have one?" Cleo wasn't sure what she should say, but looking into Caine's eyes she couldn't help but nod. "Well, some of the powers these kids have are extremely dangerous, we can't just allow them to go round using them on people, it's very dangerous! Especially the younger kids - they don't know what they're doing! It's like if a baby had a knife or a gun, you'd take it off them, wouldn't you? It's the same with their powers."

"But killing them? That's a bit extreme!" Caine shrugged.

"It's a last resort, Drake was obviously under threat, he didn't have any other choice! It was one little sacrifice to save a lot of other people, do you understand?" He looked at Cleo like a teacher might look at a not particularly bright student, and Cleo slowly nodded.

"I guess…" She muttered, her argument suddenly sounded rather silly. Caine smiled and put his hand on her shoulder.

"Good. Now, as I was saying about powers being dangerous…we need to keep a track of everyone with a power, for the safety of everyone. So what's your power, Cleo?" And he looked at her so kindly that Cleo didn't think twice about what she did next. She saw a bright red cut on Caine's hand and took his hand in both of hers. He frowned, not sure what she was doing, but when after a few seconds she pulled her hand away to reveal that the cut had completely disappeared, Caine's eyes widened in excitement. He quickly hid it again but it hadn't gone unnoticed. Then he nodded at her.

"OK, thank you Cleo, and I really appreciate you coming to tell me, if anything else bothers you, don't hesitate to drop in, you're always welcome." Then he smiled a smile that made Cleo felt like the most special person in the world, rubbed her shoulder kindly and then went and opened the door for her to leave, patting Oskar on the head as he walked past. Cleo felt a glow surrounding her as she left the building, everything was going to be OK, Caine was in charge…


	6. Chapter 6

**CHAPTER 6**

"So?" Mary asked, concerned, as Cleo returned to the day-care to pick up Pippa. She opened her mouth to speak, and then shut it again. So what? What had she actually got from speaking to Caine? He'd persuaded her that it was all alright, but was it? A baby had been MURDERED and she'd just nodded and accepted him telling her that was fine! Now as she returned to the scene of the crime, where little baby Noah was now outside the back door, blanket still covering him as Edilio had been too busy to pick him up yet, Cleo felt completely awful for not getting Caine to put a stop to Drake's brutal ways.

"Umm, yeah he's going to speak to Drake…misunderstanding…" She muttered and then hurriedly left with her sister, feeling awful. When she had been with Caine everything had made sense, she had been in the wrong, he had been Perfect Leader, but now, coming away, it just didn't feel right…she wondered if he had the power of conviction, or whether she was just a mushy teenage girl who fell for his good looks and charm. She sighed as she unlocked the front door of her family home and turned on the lights, Oskar and Pippa both relaxing as they entered their familiar sanctuary, but Cleo didn't feel so secure. There was something that wasn't right about the Coates kids…

An hour or so later Cleo collapsed exhausted onto the sofa in the living room Oskar lying beside her after reading Pippa far too many stories for her tired eyes and eventually sending her off to sleep. It was only 8:30 but all Cleo wanted to do was get to bed after her tiring day and so when the doorbell rang she felt like crying. Nevertheless she went and answered it and standing on her doorstep was none other than Caine Soren himself.

"Oh, hullo…" Cleo said, flustered as she moved out of the way so that Caine could come in. He walked straight into the living room and sat down on a large armchair, looking like he owned the place even though it was Cleo's house. She noticed that wherever he was he looked like he belonged. She sat down on the sofa next to him. "Um, would you like a drink or something to eat?" She asked, feeling as if the Prime Minister was in her house instead of some 14 year old guy. Caine shook his head, declining her offer.

"No I just wanted to talk to you about a few things, a few things that I forgot to mention earlier." Cleo nodded, nervous, feeling the same way she did when she sat down in front of her teachers at Parents Evening back at school. "First off, your job at the day-care…I've been thinking…it's a big responsibility, isn't it?" Cleo nodded.

"But I really enjoy it as well…" He ignored her.

"I think maybe it was too much for me to ask of you, I mean, you've got enough on your plate already, haven't you?" Cleo opened her mouth to object but Caine didn't give her a chance. "So I think you'd be better off working for me instead. Mother Mary will run the day-care by herself from now on-"

"She won't be able to handle it all on her own! I mean…" Cleo interrupted, but trailed off at a look from Caine.

"She'll have her brother, and I'll send her a few more volunteers. She'll be fine." Caine reassured her. Cleo ran her hand through Oskar's soft fur as she bit her lip, wondering where he was going with this.

"But I need a reliable person to assist me with a few things, and I feel like I can really trust you Cleo…" He looked at her, giving her that same look that had made her feel so special earlier. It had the same effect now. "Would you be able to help me?" And as he looked at her she was reminded of Oskar when he was begging for food. Like with Oskar, Cleo found herself giving in.

"I-I suppose…" She said and Caine beamed.

"Thank you so much Cleo! I _knew_ I could count on you! Now, the reason I came round here now, is there's a favour I need you to do for me. There's something I need you to get for me."

"What is it?" Cleo asked, knowing that it wouldn't matter what it was, she'd end up getting it for Caine whatever.

"It's something I really need. A laptop." Cleo frowned.

"Umm…there aren't any adults here anymore? And you're mayor? Surely it isn't too hard to just walk into the Apple shop and take your pick?" Caine shook his head.

"No, you see…it's not that simple. I don't need just any laptop, I need a specific laptop. And also a box. Both things contain very valuable information. I don't suppose you know Sam Temple?" Cleo frowned.

"Um yeah, he went to school with me…w-why?" She asked, suddenly apprehensive.

"Do you know where he lives?" Cleo slowly nodded. She walked past it on her way to school back in the days before the FAYZ and had often seen him leaving.

"Well that's where the laptop and box are, I need you to get them and bring them to me and, err, it would probably be best if Sam didn't see you collecting them. Or anyone else for that matter."

"Um…I don't know…it's not right, stealing other people's stuff…" Caine sighed and gave her the same look he'd given her earlier; the tired look as if he was trying to find a way for even her stupid mind to understand.

"Oh Cleo…it's not really stealing! We're just borrowing them; we'll make sure we return them afterwards. And the things I need you to get…they're essential for some, err, research we're doing."

"What kind of research…?"

"About the FAYZ, you see, with the box and the laptop, we'll be able to uncover this whole mystery and maybe find a way out of this dome, and that will benefit everyone including Sam."

"Well then, why don't you just ask him for the stuff? And anyway, how do you know about it?"

"Because Sam…you see Cleo, there are two types of people in the world: good people and bad people. Let's just say Sam doesn't fit into the first category…all he cares about is power and status. If he knew that I was planning on finding a way out of the FAYZ, and I needed some of his things in order to do that, he wouldn't be keen to hand them over. He would want to be the big hero who saved everyone; he'd try and do it himself. But he doesn't know what I do…he wouldn't be able to do it. Just take my word for it, Cleo, I mean, look at me! I'm not a bad person, am I? I'm just trying to help. And that's what I need in order to carry out my mission." Cleo looked at Caine's kind face and couldn't not trust him. She found herself nodding.

"OK. I'll do it." Caine grinned.

"Great! First thing tomorrow, while Sam's still out of town. Thanks a bunch Cleo!" And he went over and hugged her, her heart beating double time as he wrapped his arms around her. She felt disappointed when he finally let go. But then he was heading for the front door. "Bye Cleo, remember, tomorrow morning. And bring them straight to me." Then he winked and the door was closing and he was gone.


	7. Chapter 7

**CHAPTER 7**

After a rough night in which Cleo hardly slept a wink, she woke up the next morning at 6 o'clock, usual time, to Pippa pulling her arm. Her little sister had climbed into bed with her at some point in the night after having a bad dream, and was now wanting breakfast. Cleo sighed and reluctantly got out of bed and padded over to the kitchen, making a bowl of cheerio's for Pippa, and a bowl of dog food for Oskar. Then she collapsed back into her bed and in the few minutes of peace she had thought about the task that lay ahead of her. She had known Sam back in the old days and he'd always seemed like a kind-hearted boy. There was the whole school bus incident of course; she'd been on board at the time. And had witnessed Sam's calm as he saved everyone and had earned the nickname School Bus Sam. Then after that he'd just faded into the background again. What was it Caine had said? 'All he cares about is power and status'. That didn't seem very believable to Cleo, but the FAYZ had affected everyone in different ways, a lot of people had changed. Maybe Sam was one of them. She remembered Caine's kind and trustworthy face and decided he must be right. She got back up and dressed and ready, deciding that the earlier she performed this task the better. Hopefully people would still be in bed until at least 8. So half an hour later she managed to leave the house, Pippa and Oskar in tow, and whisk them off to the day-care. Then she set off to Sam's house, feeling like some kind of secret agent.

By 7 o'clock Cleo had broken into Sam's family home (well, like many houses in the FAYZ the front door was kept unlocked, so it didn't really class as breaking in) and was searching for the missing items. The laptop was easy to find as it was left open in the living room, but the box was harder. Caine had described it further to Cleo (she wondered how he knew about it, if he'd seen it why hadn't he just taken it himself?) and she finally managed to spot it in Sam's room. As well as a VERY weird thing in his wardrobe, but after the whole FAYZ thing she wasn't as freaked out as she would have been before. She decided she would report it to Caine anyway. She left swiftly, scared of Sam returning to catch her red-handed, and power walked to the safety of the Mayor's office, hoping against hope that no one caught her with the items on the way.

Caine paced impatiently across his office as he waited for Cleo to return. He'd had to send Cleo, who no one really associated with him, to pick up the items so that if she got caught he could deny having anything to do with it. But he still wasn't certain he could trust her. She was easy enough to persuade and manipulate, but she was a bit of a goody goody and he had to hope that her conscious didn't ever overpower his persuasive words and charm that she completely fell for. Caine found it easy to charm people, and it had got him a long way in life, but Cleo was definitely among the people who it had the most effect on. Also in the office were Diana and Drake, both sat on the sofa, but as far away from each other as they could be while both sitting on it. Drake was playing with a pocket knife and Diana was filing her nails. Finally Caine relaxed as there was a knock at the door and swiftly walked over and answered it, to see a nervous looking Cleo there clutching at the two items. In his excitement, Caine completely ignored Cleo but grabbed the two things and walked over to his desk with them. Diana and Drake both looked up with interest as well, but Caine only had eyes for his treasure. He examined both things and slowly his excited expression faded. Diana walked over to him and looked over his shoulder at what he was looking at. Then she began to laugh. Caine spun round and glared at her.

"It's not funny." He snapped dangerously but Diana couldn't hide her grin.

"Sammy's your BROTHER! You're TWINS!" She laughed, Drake smirked as well.

"4 minutes." Caine said quietly. "He poofs 4 minutes before me…" He muttered, examining a birth certificate he had retrieved from the box.

"Umm…what do you mean 'poofs'?" Came a quiet voice from the door, and 3 heads turned to see Cleo still standing there. Caine shook his head.

"You shouldn't have heard any of that…" He muttered, shaking his head, Cleo blushed slightly under the scrutinising gaze of the three Coates kids. Caine finally pulled himself together, he still seemed in shock from finding out about his long lost brother. "Drake, get Panda, take her to Coates. She can help out there. We can't trust her to walk around here anymore…" Drake nodded and walked over to Cleo but Cleo shook her head.

"No…I won't tell anyone I promise! I won't say a word! I need to look after Pippa! And Oskar!" But Caine wasn't listening, he was staring at the things on his desk again, and Drake had grabbed her arm and was pulling her roughly out of the room. "No…" She said again but Drake dug his nails in hard.

"Shut up Cleo or you might find yourself breaking one of the town rules. And then the sheriff's gonna have to punish you…" He winked and smirked at Cleo's sudden silence. He frogmarched her off across the plaza where no one so much as gave her a second glance, not wanting to draw attention to themselves in front of Drake Merwin. Cleo found tears forming in her eyes as she thought of her dog and her sister, without her to look after them. What would happen to them? But she had her own safety to think about as well, as Caine had left her in Drake Merwin's charge…


	8. Chapter 8

**CHAPTER 8**

"Well isn't this cosy." Drake grinned from the backseat of the SUV. Panda was in the driver's seat, but Drake had got in the back next to Cleo to make sure she didn't try anything. Cleo ignored him and stared mournfully out of the window. She felt awful about leaving the remains of her family, and mentally kicked herself for ever associating with Caine. Drake started playing with his pocket knife as Panda expertly took them closer and closer to the boarding school Cleo had never been to but had heard so much about.

They eventually arrived after a relatively long car journey but one far shorter than Cleo had hoped for. Panda pulled into the grand driveway and Cleo looked around, taking in her prison. It looked more like a castle than a school and was very grand, although Cleo expected it would have once been a lot more so, as now the lawn was starting to grow out, and weeds were appearing, as well as a few of the windows being smashed and weird animals – dogs? Walking around everywhere. Cleo took a closer look, they were far too big to be dogs, and they were moving funny…it was only when Panda parked the car right in front of the grand double doors that a wave of nausea flooded through Cleo as she realised what it was. Drake pulled out a gun and turned to face Cleo.

"Stay right behind me." Then he opened the car door.

"Please! Give us food! Please!" Came a piteous cry from a girl with hair like straw and eyes which stood out against the huge bags underneath her, giving her a mad look. That and the fact that her hands were stuck together in a block of cement. Drake kicked her aside and tried to make his way through them, but Cleo, too shocked to move, stayed swaying by the car. The desperate children took it as their chance and quickly filled the gap between her and Drake, crawling towards her and fixing her with desperate eyes that made tears fall down her cheeks.

"Please!"

"We're starving!" Suddenly there was an almighty bang and the nearest child fell limp and lifelessly to the ground. Cleo looked up to see Drake holding out his gun, as the other children cowered and slowly crawled away. Drake walked back to Cleo and grabbed her arm, and didn't let go as they entered the school and walked through winding corridors until they arrived at the former Staff Room. Drake opened the door without knocking and pushed Cleo through, swiftly following behind her and firmly closing the door. Lounging on a sofa and munching on a sandwich was a boy who looked about the same age as Cleo and Drake, maybe slightly younger, with scruffy brown hair, freckles and twinkling eyes. He nodded at them in greeting, trying to remain casual, although an obvious fear entered his eyes as he looked at Drake.

"Alright Freddie." Drake said as he walked over and took the sandwich out of the boy's hands, taking a big bite out of it himself, and not giving it back afterwards. "This is Cleo." Drake said through a big mouthful, the boy didn't seem too interested; he still seemed shocked at Drake stealing his sandwich. "You can look after her, but if she's too much of a handful, Caine didn't give specific orders to keep her alive…" The boy nodded nonchalantly, the way these Coates kids reacted to things that horrified Cleo to know end never failed to surprise her. "Well, I'll be off then…" He said through another mouthful. "Catch ya later Cleo!" And he walked back out of the room, leaving the two of them alone. The boy sighed and finally made eye contact with Cleo.

"Right…s'pose we better get the formalities outta the way…I'm Frederico and, have you seen the freaks on your way up?" He did an impression of the cemented kids as if it was funny and Cleo nodded, a lump in her throat as she realised just how evil this whole association was. "Yeah if you do anything to annoy me? You'll be one of them. Got it?" Cleo bit her lip and slowly nodded again, Frederico grinned. "Cool, well make yourself at home, there's plenty of beds take your pick and, err…if any of the freaks give you grief…" He reached into his pocket and pulled out a pocket knife. He grinned as he chucked it to Cleo. He made to walk out of the room but stopped and turned around at the door. "Oh and I wouldn't try anything if I were you…" He said and without warning held his hand out palm outwards and shot a fireball right past Cleo. She gasped and he grinned, chucking her a fire extinguisher as he winked and left the room. She stood in shock for a moment before suddenly realising that the whole of the kitchen area was on fire and stepping into action with the fire extinguisher Frederico had given her. After she had finally managed to put it all out and had collapsed onto one of the sofas, she decided that she probably wouldn't mess with the new boy. She left the room and decided to look for the dorms; she didn't see herself being out of this horror-film type prison anytime soon…

Cleo awoke at an hour of the night that she shouldn't be awake at after a terrible nightmare. Then she realised it was reality. She sighed and rubbed her eyes, completely out of her depths. She was just a normal girl! Already taking over the family home and taking responsibility for her dog and sister had been a big deal for her, then having a full time job at the day care was stressing her out, and now? This was just crazy! She was still waiting to wake up and be told that it was all a bad dream. But she had pinched herself enough times to know that THAT wasn't going to happen. She decided to think of it simply to try and get her head round it.

Caine & co. were bad.

Sam & co. were good.

Lots of kids were in trouble.

Cleo was trapped.

Well that didn't make her feel any better…she turned over and willed sleep to come. To briefly take her out of this nightmare. And she hoped against hope it wouldn't still be there when she woke up, even though she knew it would…


	9. Chapter 9

**CHAPTER 9**

A few days of keeping to herself and reading books from and in the dorm she had chosen later and Cleo was…keeping to herself and reading a book from and in the dorm she had chosen. This one was 'War and Peace', definitely not Cleo's first choice, but neither was where she was staying. All of a sudden though Cleo was drawn from her sad and lonely little bubbly when she heard the faint sound of distant voices. They were far too quiet for her to make out who it was, but something made her drop her book and leave the room. As she neared the source, her heartbeat accelerated, as she realised who it was. She entered the former canteen to see a familiar bunch of people setting up cameras and equipment.

"C-Caine?" She said to the tall dark-haired boy whose back was to her. He spun round and looked vaguely annoyed and uninterested when he realised who it was. Suddenly Cleo felt a surge of anger flow through her. She had been so loyal to him right from the start, she had done everything he'd asked and actually thought he'd appreciated it! Then he'd just locked her away and she realised now, now that he couldn't be bothered to hide it anymore, that he never cared about her. It was all just one massive act. She felt a mixture of embarrassment and hurt flood through her and, without realising what she was doing, she slapped him round the face. He stood there shocked for a minute and Cleo winced as she'd realised what she'd just done to one of the most powerful people in the FAYZ. But then he laughed. He _actually_ laughed.

"Alright Cleo, calm down! C'mon, come with me…" He said, looking at her like she was a naughty but amusing little kid. Then he put his arm around her and led her out of the canteen and into an empty classroom. He sighed, sitting on a desk, Cleo standing in front of him. "What's up Cleo?" He asked in a blasé kinda way. Cleo gaped.

"What's up?" She asked frostily, she'd never been this angry in her life! Well, she'd never really ever been angry in her life, she was a rather happy-go-lucky kind of person. But now she was positively fuming. "Caine, you've used me from the start! Then you go and lock me up, away from my family and just _forget _all about me! And now you're just treating me like some kid!" By now her eyes were filled with angry tears and her face was colouring. Caine sighed.

"Oh Cleo…" He said, rubbing his eyes warily. "I've got enough on my plate at the moment to be worrying about your jealousy…" Cleo gaped.

"My WHAT?"

"You're obviously jealous." He said, matter-of-factly. "I mean, I could tell you fancied me from the start, and then when I stopped giving you my undivided attention you couldn't handle it anymore."

"Um, locking me up is a bit more than just not having your undivided attention!"

"I never locked you anywhere; you could have walked away…"

"No I couldn't! They were gonna kill me if I did!" Caine shrugged.

"Not my orders, anyway, I've got stuff to do, _please_ just stop playing the attention-seeking toddler for 5 minutes?" And with that he got up and stood up to leave the room. But Cleo, shaking with pent-up rage, couldn't leave it at that and lunged at him. He flicked his wrist casually without even looking up and she flew back a few steps and fell onto the cold, hard tiled floor. Still not looking at her, Caine left the room. Cleo grit her teeth as tears ran down her face. She was left alone, feeling like shit, once again.


	10. Chapter 10

**CHAPTER 10**

Caine and co. stayed the night but it didn't bother Cleo as she had promised herself she wouldn't have anything more to do with them. Not that they'd spoken to her once since the whole encounter with Caine. Cleo sighed as she lay on the uncomfortable metal bed with the lumpy mattress and scratchy sheets looking up at the ceiling for some sort of miracle. She'd never been religious, but since the beginning of the FAYZ she'd probably prayed more times than a monk does in a lifetime. She'd prayed to God, Allah, Hari, Buddha and any other god she could remember from the RS classes she never paid any attention in. The morning light was seeping through the broken blinds but Cleo had no intention of getting up. Getting up meant running the risk of running into someone and every single one of Coates Academy's current inhabitants was screwed up. Cleo supposed she fitted into that category too; although so did everyone in the FAYZ. But the Coates lot? They took screwed up to a whole new level…anyone who could cement 50 or so kids' hands together, starve them half to death and then not show any remorse for it was wrong in the head. Cleo sighed and closed her eyes, begging for sleep but knowing it wouldn't come. Although sleep wasn't exactly a way out, on the rare occasion that Cleo did manage to make a trip over to the land of nod, her dreams were only a reflection of the reality of the FAYZ, and sometimes more horrific if that was even possible. Nope, sleep wasn't the answer, nor was War and Peace or the other arduous books that occupied Truman Richardson (according to the name on the door)'s large bookcase. No, the answer was to get out of and as far away as possible from this horrible school. That was the first thing. Then she'd take it from there. But with a bunch of psychopaths boarding with her, that was easier said than done.

By 10 o'clock, Cleo was bored out of her mind and after not eating since breakfast the day before her stomach could take it no longer. She climbed reluctantly off Truman's bed and set off on the long trek downstairs. As she was eating her stale cornflakes, Cleo heard a commotion from outside and after ignoring it for a few minutes, curiosity finally overcame her and she dropped her spoon and walked tentatively over to the door that opened the canteen onto the school field. She gasped at what she saw and ran over to the group of people out on the lawn.

"CAINE? What are you DOING?" She screamed trying to run over to her former classmates. But Caine held up a hand casually when she was next to him and she was held in place by his telepathic powers.

"Oh hello Cleo, how nice of you to join us. Actually how convenient, why not join your little friends over there?" And, using his 4-bar power, he levitated Cleo and dropped her next to Edilio Escobar in the queue to be plastered. She bit her lip as her eyes filled with tears at the horror that awaited her, but as Edilio slipped her hand into his and squeezed it comfortingly, and as she looked across the line at the heroes she stood with, she realised something. She'd rather live the upcoming nightmare with these guys, than watch on with the monsters who stood opposite. She gritted her teeth and blinked back the tears, she was gonna face this with a brave face, just like Edilio, just like Astrid, and just like Sam.

That's when it happened.

Suddenly the cement disappeared. Just vanished. Like the adults did on the first day of the FAYZ. Cleo gaped but Sam was already in action, as a bright green light shot from his open palms and, judging by the sudden cries of pain, hit Drake Merwin. Looking around, Cleo realised that the cement didn't just disappear from the Perdido Beach kids' hands, but from everyone Caine & co. had been holding captive, and they must have noticed, because with one look at the load of angry freaks, and at Drake's now blackened arm and they all ran to the safety of the school. Sam didn't waste any time, turning to everyone.

"C'mon, follow me, let's get out of here while we can." And then he power-walked away, everyone else following him like his disciples. Edilio, ever the hero, turned to Cleo with a concerned look as they walked off.

"You alright Cleo?" He asked.

"I am now." She replied.


	11. Chapter 11

**CHAPTER 11**

The Coates freaks' hands were positively disgusting after being plastered; Cleo had got round about half of the plastees by now and healed the worst of the wounds and was seriously tired after using her power non-stop for so long but kept going, keen to do her bit to help out after feeling like such a traitor for being on the side of the people who had done this to everyone. Her powers couldn't reach beyond the surface of the skin however, and her heart broke as she saw the state they were in and knew she could do nothing about that psychological wound. She walked up to Sam and took his hands, as she had taken everyone else's, ready to heal him next. He's only been plastered for a few minutes, but his hands looked red and raw and after rescuing everyone, Cleo thought she owed it to him to give him priority in the healing queue. But Sam pulled his hands away.

"No, I'm fine. Go and heal the others." Cleo hesitated for a minute, but he looked so sure that she nodded and turned to go and heal someone else. But then Sam grabbed her arm, stopping her.

"Yes?"

"Cleo…thank you." Cleo smiled.

"No problem, y'know I think it should probably be me thanking you…" Sam shook his head.

"No honestly, I didn't do anything, if it wasn't for Lit- err…the cement disappearing, we'd've all been screwed!"

"Yeah…how did that happen?" Sam shrugged, not making eye contact.

"No idea…lucky though, eh?" Cleo nodded and smiled.

"Anyway, better get back to work…" They both smiled and then Cleo carried on with her healing round, but now with a smile on her face.

They finally arrived back at Perdido Beach, buzzing with a new excitement as Sam had talked of a war between him and Caine's lot. The plastees had filled their concave stomachs and filled with a hatred and want of revenge, Cleo was glad she was now on their side. She took Sam to one side when she had the chance, which took a while as everyone was always surrounding him, asking him endless questions. But finally there was a gap and Cleo took it.

"What's up Cleo?" Sam asked, looking generally concerned, although Cleo wasn't sure what she could trust after Caine's big act. Sam seemed different though.

"Um, you haven't talked to me about my bit in the big battle?" She said.

"That's cos you don't have one." He said sternly.

"But I want to help! I can't just sit back and watch, I…I…" She sighed. "There's something I didn't tell you." Sam said nothing, just waited for her to tell him in her own time. "I wasn't exactly kidnapped by Caine, I…well, I was but…before that, I…I helped them." She looked at the ground, too ashamed to meet Sam's eyes, but he put his hand on her shoulder comfortingly.

"Hey, Cleo, we all liked him in the beginning. We all let him come to power. You weren't to know…"

"But he said stuff about you…lied, and I believed him! After knowing him for a couple of days! I've been at school with you for years!"

"Well that's what he does, he's good at lying. Look, stop beating yourself up about it. That's in the past now. You gonna help us in the present?" Cleo finally met his gaze.

"You just said I wasn't allowed to fight!"

"I know, you have a different role. Take your dog, take your sister, get out of here, hide out somewhere. Wait for it to all blow over and then help pick up the pieces. Heal our people. That's your job. Ok?" Cleo nodded, feeling awful. She'd completely forgotten about Oskar and Pippa!

"Do you know where they are? Pippa and my dog?" Sam shrugged.

"I've been out of town, but last I knew they were at the daycare." Cleo nodded.

"Thanks Sam!" She said, pulling him into a hug without realising what she was doing, he stood there awkwardly for a second then he hugged her back. "Stay safe." She said seriously and he smiled.

"I try…" He said and Cleo smiled back. Then she broke into a run in the direction of the daycare.


	12. Chapter 12

**CHAPTER 12**

Cleo finally arrived at the day-care, panting and sweating, to find the usual mayhem that came with the job she had once had. She looked around at the familiar children whose eyes were widening as they saw who it was, smiles breaking onto their little faces. But Cleo was only interested in finding the faces of three people: Pippa, Oskar and Mary. She found the third one's brother first.

"John!" She said, relieved as the young boy turned to look at her, red curls bouncing around his head as he did so, he smiled when he saw Cleo.

"Cleo! You're ok! You just disappeared; we all thought you'd poofed! The kids haven't stopped talking about you, and Pippa! Oh…Pippa, she's not been herself. At all."

"Oh John, no, I was, err…kidnapped? Anyway I'm ok now, I just need to find my little sister, do you know where she is? She's ok isn't she? And Oskar, Oskar too." John nodded and beckoned for Cleo to follow him. He turned to talk to her as they walked.

"They've both been staying here with us. Pippa's got friends here and Oskar…he won't go anywhere else, he's just looking for you, getting all excited when someone comes to the door. He keeps howling at night as well, it's horrible, he looks so sad. Pippa too, she's always snivelling in her sleep. And she won't leave Mary alone, she's never more than a metre away from her. So naturally Oskar isn't either." They stopped at a side door which John opened to reveal Mary sitting on the doorstep of, cleaning some reusable nappies. Also with her were…

"PIPPA!" Cleo cried and Pippa spun round, eyes widening when she saw her long-lost sister. She ran over to Cleo and wrapped her little arms around her waist; tears of relief running down her face, Cleo found tears filling her eyes as well. Keen to join in the hug, the girls' beautiful duck tolling retriever jumped up at them, tail wagging 100mph, barking excitedly. Cleo crouched down and pulled them both to her, Oskar licking her face which she normally wouldn't have allowed but now made her laugh between sobs of relief. Finally Cleo pulled away and wiped her eyes, turning to Mary.

"Thank you so, so much for keeping my babies safe." She said and engulfed her best friend in the FAYZ in a big hug. Mary felt smaller than usual and Cleo decided it must have been from all the running around after the children. A smile appeared on Mary's strained face.

"Oh Cleo I'm just glad you're back, what happened?" Cleo shook her head.

"It's a long story, but Mary, I have to go. You need to talk to Sam, there's going to be a battle!" Mary's eyes widened.

"But…the children!"

"I know, I wish I could stay here and help you but, captain's orders, I'm sorry." She hugged her friend one more time. "Stay safe, won't you? See you soon." And then she smiled at John and, picking up Pippa, she left the day-care, Oskar at her heel.

She'd wanted to go back to the safety and familiarity of their family home, but it looked out onto the plaza where the battle would most definitely take place, so she decided they'd be safer as far away as possible. So instead of crossing over to San Pablo Avenue, they walked down Alameda Avenue until they came to Eastern Avenue, and the house where their grandma used to live.

"Nana!" Pippa said happily as she saw the house, but Cleo shook her head.

"No nana's not in today Pips." She lifted the plant pot in front of the house and opened the front door with the spare key she had retrieved from underneath. The three of them entered the hallway and breathed in the familiar smell of Nana Etta. Pippa immediately ran into the living room and came back to Cleo clutching a DVD. Cleo smiled and took it from her sister. It was 'The Gruffalo'.

"Come on then." Cleo laughed and followed Pippa back into the living room, putting the film on. She closed the curtains and they all cuddled up on the old sofa, watching The Gruffalo, just like old times. And with the rest of the world blocked out, Cleo could still pretend it was still the old times. She looked round at the pictures on the wall that Nana Etta had painted herself and the school photos of Pippa and Cleo on the mantelpiece and smiled. Soon Oskar was snoring gently, his head resting on Cleo's lap, and Pippa was too, leaning against Cleo's side, and Cleo put her arms around both of them, vowing never to let them out of her sight again.


	13. Chapter 13

**CHAPTER 13**

5 films (The Gruffalo, The Smurfs, Beauty and the Beast, Tintin and Lady and the Tramp) and a packet of Liquorice Allsorts later and there was a knock at the door. Oskar immediately started barking. Cleo froze, thinking about staying there and pretending no one was in, but she thought Oskar had probably given her position away. And besides, she doubted a locked door would keep a kid of the FAYZ away, it was either answer it or wait for a forced entry. So, nervously, she got up from the sofa and crept down the hall. The person was still knocking. She slowly turned the door handle and opened it a crack to see…little Benny Andrews standing there.

"Corr, sure took ya time." He said. "I 'ad to walk all the way 'ere from the plaza, you'da thought I'd actually be let in when I arrived." He shook his head at Cleo who raised an eyebrow.

"So…um…you seem kinda casual, I thought there was a battle going on?" Benny nodded.

"Oh yeah, that's why I'm 'ere, Sam said I should tell ya, it's over. We won." Then he nodded at her and walked back off up the drive.

"Wait!" Cleo called and he turned back around. "Are-are you for real?" Benny nodded at her as if it was a stupid question.

"Anyway, you better get ya butt back over there, there's people dyin' and stuff." Then he pulled a cigarette and a lighter out of his pocket and lit it as he walked off. Cleo stood there stunned for a minute, and then ran back inside, turning the telly off and crouching in front of the sofa for Pippa to climb onto her back. Then with Oskar they ran off back to the plaza.

It was horrific. Buildings blown apart, bodies everywhere, blood splattered over the pavement. Their house was luckily one of the surviving ones, but that didn't make up for the shock of the rest of the once beautiful plaza. Cleo put Pippa down, taking her hand instead, and went over to the first casualty, glad to be able to help out at last. Soon there was a line of people waiting to be healed, some who had managed to get there themselves, others who had been carried or dragged over to her. Cleo wished her power would work quicker but she knew she would just have to heal the worst off first and hope for the best. As they waited, the injured stroked Oskar for comfort, and Pippa went over to them and held their hands as well. Cleo smiled at her little family, but it was a grim smile as she was faced with horrible sights, wounds that had been caused by other kids! Kids that Cleo had once helped. One of them that she had _fancied_. She tried to remember what Sam had said to her about forgetting the past, but with Caine's damage visible in front of her it was hard. But she just kept healing, hoping it would somehow right her wrongs. She kept healing as the sky darkened, as Mary came to put Pippa to bed, right through to when the morning light spilt across the black slate of the sky. Yawning, she carried on, refusing to stop until everyone was better. Finally Sam appeared and placed his hand on her shoulder.

"Cleo…take a rest…" Cleo shook her head, rubbing her eyes, stifling yawns.

"No…need to…finish…" Sam looked her right in the eyes.

"Cleo, you've healed the worst off, these kids can wait." Cleo shook her head but this time as her eyes drifted closed she couldn't manage to open them again and the last thing she was aware of was Sam picking her up as she drifted off.


	14. Chapter 14

**CHAPTER 14**

Cleo opened her eyes to find herself in her own bed. She rolled over and looked at her alarm clock, dreading going to school, she was _way_ too tired. Maybe she'd fake a sicky? But that was just a fantasy; her mum never let her stay off school. The alarm clock read 14:26 and for a moment Cleo though it must be broken, before everything came back to her, along with a wave of nausea. The adults disappearing, the wall appearing, the true horrors of the FAYZ. And last of all, the load of injured kids that Cleo had been healing. How selfish of her to fall asleep on them! They needed her and she'd just been in bed, snoozing! She jumped up, ignoring the tired pleads from her body and rushed downstairs to find Pippa playing with her doll's house in the lounge, Oskar curled up at her side. She smiled as she watched the two of them from the doorway and wished she could stay and play happy families with them, but she knew she had a job to do. She entered the room to tell them she had to go, but nearly had a heart attack when she noticed another person in the room, sitting on the sofa and always watching the two of them with a smile on their face.

"Oh, you're up" He grinned when he saw Cleo standing there.

"S-Sam…what are you doing here?" Cleo asked and Sam grinned.

"Looking after these two." He smiled. "Thought you deserved a little rest."

"But what about you? I thought you were up to your neck in things to do…" Sam nodded grimly.

"Yeah, thought I'd hide out for a while, they'll survive without me for a couple of hours, besides, Edilio can manage fine without me. I've just won a war for god's sake…" He rolled his eyes. "Mad, isn't it? Remember when we were just two quiet kids sitting next to each other in English?" Cleo nodded, smiling sadly, wishing they were back in the old days. As she looked at Sam's handsome face, aged by the-woah, hold up, had she just thought of him as _handsome_? He was just Sam, Sam the hero yes, but not Sam the _handsome_ hero! Sam frowned, noticing Cleo's panic. "You alright?" He asked, standing up and moving closer towards her worriedly. Cleo just stared at him, and as they looked into each other's eyes, she noticed his expression change. Were similar thoughts filling his mind?

Sam looked into Cleo's big amber eyes, so kind and gentle and he noticed for the first time how beautiful she was. They'd known each other for years but he'd never thought of her in that way before…but then as he thought about her, he couldn't think of a single fault with her. He subconsciously moved closer.

Cleo stared back into his warm chocolate eyes, so soft, so warm; melting her heart. Suddenly his lips were on hers and she was kissing him back, as he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer. She wrapped her own arms around his neck, fingers playing with his soft, scruffy brown hair. She didn't know how long they stayed like that for; just that she felt safe at last, like someone was there to look after her for a change, rather than the other way round. When they finally broke apart, they stayed standing there together, holding each other close for a while longer. Both of them glad to have the other there to comfort them against things that the other didn't know.

Cleo didn't know what was going to happen, whether the wall would ever come down or not, whether Pippa and Oskar would be ok, whether Caine and his cronies would ever come back, but for the moment it didn't matter. She had Sam, and Sam would look after her. He was different, he was special.

Sam held Cleo close, he had a lot of responsibility being the leader of the FAYZ, responsibility that he would gratefully hand over at the first chance, but as he rested his head on Cleo's, breathing in the smell of her apple scented shampoo, he realised that she was his responsibility now, and this was one responsibility he was glad to have, one that he wouldn't give away for anything. He was going to look after Cleo through all of this. He squeezed her tight.

**THE END.**


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